What Is Happening in Hong Kong?
Brandon Turbeville | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
Over the past few months, both mainstream and alternative news outlets have been covering massive protests in Hong Kong where tens of thousands of people have taken part in demonstrations that have since devolved into violence both with police, counter-protesters, …
globalresearch.ca/what-happening-hong-ko…
Health concerns rise in Brazil as Amazon fires rage
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-28
Lingering smoke in the Amazon is causing concern among Brazilians who say that respiratory problems — particularly among children and the elderly — have increased as fires in the region rage."The kids are affected the most. They're coughing a lot," said Elane Diaz, a nurse in the Rondonia state capital of Porto Velho, as she waited for a doctor's appointment at a hospital with her five-year-old-son Eduardo."They have problems breathing. I'm concerned because it affects their health." | The number of people treated for respiratory issues increased sharply in recent days at a local children's hospital."Th…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/20…
It's not just Brazil's Amazon rainforest that's ablaze — Bolivian fires are threatening people and wildlife
Claire F.R. Wordley | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-28
Up to 800,000 hectares of the unique Chiquitano forest were burned to the ground in Bolivia between August 18 and August 23. That's more forest than is usually destroyed across the country in two years. Experts say that it will take at least two centuries to repair the ecological damage done by the fires, while at least 500 species are said …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/28/its-not-ju…
Canada and Bolsonaro
Yves Engler | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-28
By now most environmentally conscious people understand that Jair Bolsonaro is a bad guy. Brazil's president has scandalously blamed environmentalists for starting fires burning in the Amazon region, after having called for more "development" of the huge forests. Canadians are lucky we have a prime minister who is not such an embarrassment and understands environmental…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/28/canada-and-b…
Bolsonaro Fiddles While the Amazon Burns
J.P. Linstroth | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-28
Of course, my title conjures up images of the Emperor Nero (37-68 A.D.) fiddling while ancient Rome burned, and for many reasons, this mythwas a historical falsehood. Fiddles did not exist in 64 A.D. when a great fire ravaged ancient Rome, but stringed instruments did nonetheless, like the citharaand lyre. Moreover, Nero himself was not…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/28/bolsonaro-fi…
The Open Amazon and Its Enemies: A Call for Action and Optimism
Francesc Badia i Dalmases | commondreams.org | 2019-08-28
Tree in the Brazilian rainforest. (Photo: Pablo Albarenga, all rights reserved.) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/28/open-a…
Amazon wildfires expose fallacy of "green" capitalist politics
wsws.org | 2019-08-28
While Bolsonaro invokes rabid dictatorship-era chauvinism, world powers are using the fires to further their own strategic aims.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/28/amaz…
As the World Burns
Sarah Jaffe | progressive.org | 2019-08-28
Catastrophes in the Amazon and elsewhere are flash points for the larger, ongoing crisis that claims lives in less spectacular fashion–one that sees life itself as expendable.
progressive.org/dispatches/as-the-world-…
Disastrous Alaskan wildfires could permanently alter forest composition
Madison Dapcevich | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-28
From the Amazon to the last frontier of Alaska, fire season is raging on both sides of the equator and bringing with the flames long-term effects that could permanently alter the diverse ecosystems of both regions. As of Tuesday, the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center reports that more than 200 individual wildfires are burning across the state and threatening more than a …
peoplesworld.org/article/disastrous-alas…
We are facing a global emergency in the Amazon. Here's what we can do
Leila Salazar-Lopez and Lindsey Allen | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-28
Called "the lungs of the Earth", the Amazon rainforest and its lush trees make roughly 20% of the oxygen on Earth. Yet, right now, the skies of Sao Paolo, Brazil are black and the smoke can be seen from space. Flames are ravaging the Amazon Basin. Though climate change has catalyzed many devastating blazes in recent years, …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/28/we-are-fac…
Sri Lankan PM backs Indian repression in Kashmir
wsws.org | 2019-08-28
The support for New Delhi's anti-democratic measures in J&K reflects the fact that all factions of Sri Lanka's ruling elite are moving towards the imposition of dictatorial rule.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/28/kash…
The World is Watching Kashmire
Shubh Mathur | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-28
"The hasty stroke goes oft astray." This piece of remembered wisdom from The Lord of the Rings seems to be an apt description of the Indian military siege of Kashmir. On August 5th, at midnight local time, the disputed territory was abruptly cut off from all communication, both with the outside world and within Kashmir,…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/28/the-world-is…
US Opens Venezuela Interest Section in Colombia as Guaido Rebuffs Further Talks
Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-08-28
It remains unclear whether the new Venezuela Affairs Unit will facilitate talks with Caracas.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14640
Russiagate skeptics are vindicated, but conspiracy theorists are rewarded (w/ Glenn Greenwald)
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-28
Glenn Greenwald on Robert Mueller's disappearance; how Andrew McCabe has become the latest former U.S. intelligence official to join either…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/28/russiagate-sk…
The EU and NATO Remain Closely Linked on the Most Important Issues. Nuclear Weapons "Sharing Policy" directed against Russia
Shane Quinn | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
Of the European Union's 28 member states, it reveals much that 22 of these nations belong to NATO, the Pentagon-run military organization. | What is striking also is that, in…
globalresearch.ca/the-eu-and-nato-remain…
The Media's Russian Radiation Story Implodes Upon Scrutiny
Scott Ritter | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
How the mainstream media reported an August 8 accident at a top-secret missile test facility in northern Russia should serve as a cautionary tale regarding the dangers of rushed judgments via institutional bias. | In the days following the initial report …
globalresearch.ca/media-russian-radiatio…
Migrant Death Toll Tops 900 in Mediterranean as 40 Die Near Libya
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-28
| At least 40 refugees and migrants are feared dead off of the coast of Libya after a boat carrying dozens of people en route to Europe capsized Tuesday morning in the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Libyan coast guard, some 65 migrants and refugees, mostly from Sudan, were rescued with the help of local fishermen. With Tuesday's tragedy, the number of migrants and refugees who have lost their lives this year in the Mediterranean en route to Europe is up to 900. Meanwhile, far-right European leade…
truthout.org/video/migrant-death-toll-to…
Israeli drone attack on Beirut suburb
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-28
Washington, DC – Israel launched a drone attack in Beirut's southern suburb, Dahiyeh, August 24, targeting the media offices of the national democratic political party Hezbollah. Lebanese politicians denounced the attacks as "acts of war," and Hezbollah stated it will respond. | Hezbollah reports that one of the Israelis drones exploded and the other did not – due to a technical failure. Of the drone that failed to blow up, Hezbollah stated "it was laden with a bomb which was professionally wrapped and isolated," made up of C4 explosives. | In recent days, Israel has launched attacks on Syria, Iraq, Gaza, and ea…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/28/israeli-…
Inexorable Solidarity With the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil
commondreams.org | 2019-08-28
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commondreams.org/newswire/2019/08/28/ine…
US/Israel Upping the Stakes for More Middle East War
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
No nation may legally attack another state preemptively — what US-dominated NATO and Israel do time and again unaccountably. | It's what aggression is all about — defined by UN General Assembly Res. 3314. | Calling it the "most serious and dangerous …
globalresearch.ca/us-israel-middle-east-…
On David Koch's passing and the Koch network's ongoing war on clean energy
Ben Jervey | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-28
Billionaire libertarian activist and oil industry tycoon David Koch died on Friday, leaving a toxic legacy that includes helping birth the climate denial movement, fighting against regulations that protect worker and public health, and — critical to our work here on DeSmog's KochvsClean project — helping fund and coordinate a decades-long attack on clean energy and low carbon …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/28/on-david-k…
Algerians Patiently Protest
Daniel Warner | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-28
On February 22, thousands took to the streets in Algeria to protest the ruling regime, triggered by the infirmed President Bouteflika's candidacy for a fifth mandate. The April resignation of the long-time president did not stop the demonstrations. Au contraire: the demonstrations have continued. August 16, 2019, marked the twenty-six consecutive Friday of protests in…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/28/algerians-pa…
The Green Party Denounces Business Deals and Trade Policies Through Which Multinational Corporations Profit From the Destruction of the Brazilian Rainforest
commondreams.org | 2019-08-28
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commondreams.org/newswire/2019/08/28/gre…
Israel's Airstrikes in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq Mark Escalation in Aggression
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-28
| Tensions are mounting across the Middle East following a series of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. Lebanese President Michel Aoun likened the recent Israeli attacks to a "declaration of war." Israeli drones bombed targets in Lebanon on both Monday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, some Iraqi lawmakers are calling on the United States to fully withdraw its troops following a series of air raids conducted by Israel. Israel has only claimed responsibility for an attack on Syria Saturday,…
truthout.org/video/israels-airstrikes-in…
The Greek Way to a Green Planet
Evaggelos Vallianatos | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-28
The dawn of the twenty-first century is giving us a whiff of another Dark Age. Christianity and Islam have been hovering over each other, fighting small-scale crusades. More than a billion Moslems hate America because America has been an ally of Israel and because America destroyed Iraq, eyeing the oil of the entire Middle East.
counterpunch.org/2019/08/28/the-greek-wa…
Trump's Trade War and the Emerging Corporatist-Fascist State
Anthony DiMaggio | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-28
President Donald Trump's fit over China speaks to the rise of neofascism in American politics, at a time when neither Congress nor the courts are showing any interest in rolling back presidential power. Trump's unique brand of neofascism first emerged in the form of his attempt to crack down on journalistic critics for "treason," and…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/28/trumps-trade…
The Photographer of Mauthausen: Documenting Nazi crimes in a wartime concentration camp
wsws.org | 2019-08-28
The film is based on the story of Francesc Boix, a left-wing Catalan militant held during World War II at the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp complex in Austria.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/28/maut…
Why is the Climate Changing Like This?
Vishaka George | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-28
"By 4 p.m. we had to light a fire to stay warm here," says Augustine Vadakil on his struggling farm in Kerala's hilly Wayanad district. "But that was 30 years ago. Wayanad is no longer the cold, misty place it once was." From a maximum of 25 degrees Celsius by early March, temperatures here now…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/28/why-is-the-c…
Fidel Castro's prescient warning on climate change
Fidel Castro Ruz | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-28
Fidel Castro Ruz, historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, warned almost 30 years ago that collective and urgent action was needed to combat the destruction of the Earth's environment.
liberationnews.org/fidel-castros-prescie…
New "Dark Money" Group Devotes Millions to Ads Helping Establishment Democrats
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-28
| A new "dark money" group funded by secret donors plans to spend almost all of its $10.4 million budget on ads helping Democrats in House races heading into 2020. | House Majority Forward was quietly incorporated in March but operated under the radar until its public launch in July as a new 501(c)(4) arm of House Majority PAC, the Democrats' flagship super PAC for congressional races that is c…
truthout.org/articles/new-dark-money-gro…
What abortion bans and easy gun access have in common
Lornet Turnbull and Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-28
Abortions and guns. Few issues are as polarizing or have so completely dominated the national discourse in recent years. Across the country, states have passed hundreds of measures to either curb or expand access to both. In certain states, conservative lawmakers–mostly men–are busy restricting access to abortion for women, with an eye toward eventually overturning …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/28/what-abort…
Mainstream media cries foul over conservatives turning their smear-tactic culture war against them
rt.com | 2019-08-28
Conservatives are digging through reporters' social media histories to find "potentially embarrassing" posts that could be used to discredit their employers, MSM has discovered to its horror — only they are allowed to do that! | "A loose network of conservative operatives" is sifting through journalists' social media histories, looking for inflammatory nuggets that can be used to discredit the organizations they work for, the New York Times warned earlier this week, noting that this band of marauding internet sleuths has already exposed sensitive information about reporters from CNN, the Washington Post,…
rt.com/usa/467488-nyt-media-smear-tactic…
Hollywood Reboots Russophobia for the New Cold War
Max Parry | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
It is an age-old question as to the extent art reflects the world we live in. Bertolt Brecht allegedly said to the contrary that art was "not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape …
globalresearch.ca/hollywood-reboots-russ…
The Reality Brokers (or the rise of the Automagicians)
John Steppling | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-28
In the case of both Big Tech and governmental surveillance agencies, undergirding a commitment to the inevitable and imminent time after-Earth is the appeal of science fiction aesthetics, concepts and projects, all aimed toward the new goal of having new places and opportunities to conquer, colonize and dominate post-Earth. — Sarah T. Roberts, b-20, August …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/the-reality-b…
"This ruling is huge": Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $572 million for fueling opioid epidemic
Amy Goodman | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-28
In a landmark ruling, an Oklahoma judge has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for contributing to the state's opioid crisis. It marks the first time a drug company has been held responsible for the opioid crisis, though it fell far short of the $17 billion judgment sought by the state. According to …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/28/this-rulin…
Beto O'Rourke Built His Career on Driving Out Low-Income Mexican Communities
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-28
| In the aftermath of the El Paso, Texas, shooting that claimed the lives of 22 people and wounded 25 more, there is no question that white supremacist extremism is boiling over the pot heated by centuries of anti-Mexican violence. | For El Paso Latinos who have been grating under Trump's brutal rhetoric and policies, there was something both shocking and familiar about the terror that befell our city on one sweltering, desert summer day. We watched in stunned horror as our city became th…
truthout.org/articles/beto-orourke-built…
CEOs Say Shareholders Won't Be No. 1 Anymore. Turns Out They Already Weren't
Dean Baker | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-28
To great fanfare Monday, the chief executives who make up the Business Roundtable declared that companies should pursue a variety of social goals rather than focus solely on shareholders. The CEOs said they should invest in employees, foster diversity and protect the environment. As Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase and head of the…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/28/ceos-say-sha…
On the Persistence of Religion
Dan Corjescu | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-28
We feel that even if all possible scientific questions be answered, the problems of life have still not been touched at all –Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Recently I received an angry note about the persistence of religion in the modern world as proof of the world's ongoing irrationality in response to some of my comments in my lately published article…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/28/on-the-persi…
Endangering the Ark
Louisa Willcox | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-28
This week the Trump administration announced new rules that effectively gut the Endangered Species Act. This move is a disastrous blow to a natural heritage that is increasingly under threat, an abdication of our moral responsibility to future generations — and another giveaway to big corporations and ideologues who will ultimately be on the wrong side of history.
counterpunch.org/2019/08/28/endangering-…
Captain Pia Klemp Arrives as David Koch Departs the United States of Altamont
Phil Rockstroh | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-28
Fifty Years after rhapsodic auguries of the acid-informed era involving the coming "Woodstock Nation," the US citizenry — convulsed by violence, strung out on all the wrong drugs, and with the Rolling Stones still touring — stumble in mortification through the grim phantasmagoria of the United States Of Altamont. What a long, strange, bad (Nixonian…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/28/captain-pia-…
Fire and the "Changing Narrative" Thing
Susan Babbitt | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-28
Toni Morrison referred to the story beneath the story. James Baldwin called it a burning fire. In a letter to Angela Davis, awaiting trial, he wrote: "we have been told nothing but lies, lies about ourselves and our kinsmen and our past, and about love, life, and death". In other words, everything.
counterpunch.org/2019/08/28/fire-and-the…
Recent Israeli Attacks "Significantly Weakened" Syria's Air-Defense Systems
Robert Inkalesh | mintpressnews.com | 2019-08-28
While an attack of this scale on virtually any sovereign nation aside from Syria would likely provoke a major response from the international community, this Israeli attack has barely registered.
mintpressnews.com/lsrael-attacks-syria-a…
Video: Syrian Army (SAA) Works to Secure Recent Gains in Idlib
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces are conducting active security operations in the recently liberated parts of northern Hama and southern Idlib. The goal of the effort is to remove mines and improvised explosive devices, uncover weapons …
globalresearch.ca/video-army-works-secur…
Israel Has Attacked Lebanon and Syria — So What?
Andre Vltchek | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
On August 25th, 2019, Israel attacked Lebanon. It has done it again. | Just as it attacked Syria, the same night. | RT reported the same day: | "Israeli drone flights were "an open attack on Lebanese sovereignty" and an | …
globalresearch.ca/israel-attacked-lebano…
Video: "Dawn of Idlib": Syrian Army's Offensive in Northwestern Syria
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
August 2019 was marked by important changes on frontlines in northwestern Syria. | The month started with a declaration by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani that his group, the most powerful faction in Idlib and formerly the official branch …
globalresearch.ca/video-syrian-army-offe…
U.S. Africa Command Marks a Controversial Return to Libya
Alaeddin Saleh | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
Mohammed Al-Ghasri confirmed in an interview to a Libyan media outlet "Ain Libiya" that U.S. African Command team arrived at Air Defense College airbase located in Libyan port city of Misurata on July 22….
globalresearch.ca/u-s-africa-command-ret…
"Shadow Statistics": US Government's Fudging the Numbers on Unemployment, GDP and Inflation
Bryant Brown | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
John Williams has worked as a consulting economist since getting his BA and MA from Dartmouth college in New Hampshire in 1972. He now lives in California — these paragraphs are from his biography: | One of my early clients was | …
globalresearch.ca/shadow-statistics-us-g…
Momentous Decision by CITES to Limit Trade in Wild Caught African Elephants from Zimbabwe and Botswana for Zoos to "Exceptional Circumstances" with Independent Oversight
Humane Society International | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
This momentous decision will save countless elephants from being snatched from their families and natural environment, says Humane Society International at CITES CoP18 in Geneva | *** | Wildlife experts from animal protection charity Humane Society International are celebrating a momentous win …
globalresearch.ca/cites-limit-trade-wild…
India's Shadow Banking Crisis Is Intensifying
Kavaljit Singh | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
The ongoing liquidity crisis in India's shadow banking sector is intensifying. The troubles that started with defaults by Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) last year are far from over as the sector continues to face a severe liquidity …
globalresearch.ca/india-shadow-banking-c…
US Removes Palestine Authority from List of Countries
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
"Cancelling Palestine (Palestinian Authority or Palestinian Territories) from the U.S. State Department's list is not related to American national interests," PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat said. | *** | Palestinian officials slammed the United States Sunday for removing it from its list of …
globalresearch.ca/us-removes-palestine-a…
Lula Tells the World He's "Back in the Game" from Jail. "Lula is Brazil's only Possible Factor of Stability"
Pepe Escobar | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
Brazil has always been a land of superlatives. Yet nothing beats the current, perverse configuration: a world statesman lingers in jail while a clownish thug is in power, his antics now considered a threat to the whole planet. | In a …
globalresearch.ca/lula-back-game-from-ja…
Multiculturalism, In Morocco, Difference Is a Strength
Caroline Kirk | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
Morocco's belief in the strength of pluralism has energized me and shown me that difference can serve as a strength for any country, whether it is religious or secular, large or small, developed or developing. | I was told that there …
globalresearch.ca/morocco-difference-str…
Malaysia: The Najib Razak 1MDB Trial. The Prosecutor's Opening Statement
Gopal Sri Ram | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
The following is appointed prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram's opening statement at Najib's 1MDB trial, reproduced in full. | 1. This case concerns the monies of a company called 1Malaysia Development Berhad, widely known as 1MDB. It was originally …
globalresearch.ca/sri-ram-opening-statem…
As Alabama GOP Calls for Ilhan Omar's Expulsion From Congress, Minnesota Dem and Her Allies Hit Back
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-28
commondreams.org/sites/default/files/sty… …
As Tropical Storm Dorian Barrels Toward Puerto Rico, Trump Shifting $155 Million in Disaster Aid Funds to Migrant Detention
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-28
"The money that could be used to help Puerto Rico will instead be used to detain more children and parents in concentration camps." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/28/tropica…
'This Is a Coup': Warnings of Ploy to Ram Through No-Deal Brexit as Boris Johnson Moves to Suspend UK Parliament
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-28
"Boris Johnson's attempt to suspend parliament to avoid scrutiny of his plans for a reckless No Deal Brexit is an outrage and a threat to our democracy," said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/28/coup-wa…
'It Was an Outrage': Mike Pompeo Celebrates Defeated ICC Probe Into US War Crimes
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-28
commondreams.org/sites/default/files/sty… …
People are getting ready to fight back against Boris Johnson's coup
Emily Apple | thecanary.co | 2019-08-28
Boris Johnson has stated he intends to suspend parliament. He says it's purely in order to start a new session of parliament. But critics, including Jeremy Corbyn, believe it's an attempt to force through a no-deal Brexit. And the reaction on social m…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/08/28/people-…
It's on. Boris Johnson just launched a coup to suspend parliament
Fréa Lockley | thecanary.co | 2019-08-28
Boris Johnson's government will ask the queen to suspend parliament. As the UK hurtles closer to the 31 October Brexit deadline, this looks very much like a coup. | "A constitutional outrage": | Parliament's due to return from the summ…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/08/28/its-on-…
While we're all distracted by Johnson's coup, Corbyn shows a different reason why we need a Labour government
Emily Apple | thecanary.co | 2019-08-28
It's a reasonable time to be distracted. After all, Boris Johnson is trying to suspend parliament to push through his no-deal Brexit. But while backing calls to #StopTheCoup and launch a #GeneralStrike, it's important for us all to remember this isn't just about Brexit. | Through austerity, the Conservative-led government has decimated our public services. And we are in the middle…
thecanary.co/opinion/2019/08/28/while-we…
John McDonnell nails exactly what's behind Sajid Javid's early spending review
Emily Apple | thecanary.co | 2019-08-28
The chancellor Sajid Javid has announced he's bringing forward the autumn spending review to 4 September. And while Javid claims that this will "clear the decks to let us focus on Brexit", shadow chancellor John McDonnell nailed the real purpose of this early review: | Nobody is fooled that this is a Spending Review. It's a one off pre election panic driven…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/08/28/john-mc…
U.K. Takes a Giant Step Toward No-Deal Brexit
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-28
Queen Elizabeth II approves Boris Johnson's request, shortening the time the opposition has to keep him from taking the U.K. out of the European Union.
truthdig.com/articles/u-k-in-turmoil-as-…
Washington invokes "domestic terrorism" to justify police state rule
wsws.org | 2019-08-28
Trump and the Democrats' threats to create a new apparatus to combat "domestic terrorism" is part of renewed plans to violently strangle the class struggle.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/28/pers…
The Amazon Fires and the Dawn of Environmental Interventions
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
So-called "environmental interventions" might become commonplace as global powers seek excuses to intervene in the domestic affairs of sovereign states in order to seize control of their natural resources. | The entire world has watched in horror over the past week …
globalresearch.ca/amazon-fires-dawn-envi…
New Delhi's Man in Moscow Is Right, Russia and India Are Global Partners
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-28
The Indian Ambassador to Russia was right when he said that his host nation increasingly views his homeland as a global player, an observation that's becoming all the more significant after Moscow has shown that it's willing to contradict China …
globalresearch.ca/russia-india-global-pa…
Airstrikes in Lebanon, Syria & Iraq Mark Dangerous Escalation in Decades-Long Israeli Aggression
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-28
Tensions are mounting across the Middle East following a series of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. Lebanese President Michel Aoun likened the recent Israeli attacks to a "declaration of war." Israeli drones bombed targets in Lebanon on both Monday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, some Iraqi lawmakers are calling on the United States to fully withdraw its troops following a series of Israeli air raids conducted by Israel. Israel has only claimed responsibility for an attack on Syria Saturday, which they said targeted an Iranian-operated base that was preparing to launch a drone assault on Israel. We speak wi…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/28/israel_ai…
How Bolsonaro's Climate Change Denial & Anti-Indigenous Policies Led to Massive Fires in the Amazon
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-28
In Brazil, fires continue to rage in the Amazon, and new drone footage shows the smoke and flames gathering strength. A vast plume of smoke has spread across South America and the Atlantic Ocean and is visible from space. The fires are also destroying large swaths of land in Bolivia. The fires are unprecedented in recorded history, and environmentalists say most of the fires were deliberately set by illegal miners and cattle ranchers. So far this year, there have been nearly 73,000 fires in Brazil, with over half of them in the Amazon region — an 83% increase from the same period last year. Far-right Brazil…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/28/brazil_ja…
"We're in a Crisis of Deaths": Migrant Death Toll Tops 900 in Mediterranean as 40 Die Off Libya
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-28
At least 40 refugees and migrants are feared dead off of the coast of Libya after a boat carrying dozens of people en route to Europe capsized Tuesday morning in the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Libyan coast guard, some 65 migrants and refugees, mostly from Sudan, were rescued with the help of local fishermen. With Tuesday's tragedy, the number of migrants and refugees who have lost their lives this year in the Mediterranean en route to Europe is up to 900. Meanwhile, far-right European leaders like Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini continue to criminalize refugees and migrants, as well as humanitar…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/28/migrant_d…
Wednesday's Daily Brief: Guterres talks technology for Africa's development, 'extinction crisis' prompts stronger wildlife protection, Greta Thunberg reaches New York, funding shortfalls in Iraq, a positive step for Indigenous women
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-28
A recap of Wednesday's stories: Secretary-General António Guterres says 'winds of hope are blowing ever stronger' for Africa's development; Swedish climate youth activist Greta Thunberg reaches New York by boat; Chief of UN Mission for Iraq warns on funding shortfalls; and in Canada, a new bill recognizes the rights of indigenous women.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1…
Corruption undermines democracy and contributes to instability, warns senior UN anti-crime official
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-28
Corruption undermines democratic institutions, slows economic development and contributes to governmental instability, Mirella Dummar-Frahi, Civil Society Team Leader at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warned at the UN Civil Society Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1…
'Perseverance is key' to Iraq's future, UN envoy tells Security Council
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-28
Although Iraq is "hard at work building on progress made to date", a top United Nations official told the Security Council on Wednesday that decades of trouble continue to impact the present, but cautioned "we have not seen the end of it yet".
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1…
SF Workshop — Capitalism: Arsonist of the Amazon
Party for Socialism and Liberation | indybay.org | 2019-08-28
2969 Mission St., near 26th St.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/26/1882571…
Emergency Palantir Mass Mobilization to Stop ICE Terror
R.R. | indybay.org | 2019-08-28
An angry group of activists mobilized on August 23 at the headquarters of Palantir Technologies in Palo Alto. Just 3 days earlier Palantir renewed its ICE Investigative Case Management contract that enables ICE to track the every move of undocumented immigrants until 2022; protesters responded quickly and loudly. | Photos by Jack Owicki, Pro Bono Photo. Please credit the photographer.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/27/1882574…
Protesters Force Palantir to Empty HQ
Fight for What's Right | indybay.org | 2019-08-28
Palantir, the secretive $20 billion data-analysis company whose work with ICE has even led some of its own employees to make a fuss, succumbed to the power of protesters on August 23. The main office at 100 Hamilton, Palantir's world headquarters, was emptied in advance of the arrival of demonstrators. | Photo credit: Cornelia Grimes, Pro Bono Photo…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/27/1882575…
California regulators continue to allow oil field wastewater injection into aquifers
Dan Bacher | indybay.org | 2019-08-28
The continued injection of oil wastewater into aquifers is no surprise to environmental justice advocates, since the capture of California regulators by the Western States Petroleum Association and oil and gas companies continues under the Gavin Newsom administration.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/26/1882571…
Salmon fishermen blast Trump administration's war on science
Dan Bacher | indybay.org | 2019-08-28
Reacting to the news that Southern Resident Killer Whales are included in the list of species that would be jeopardized by the Department of the Interior plan, Noah Oppenheim, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), concluded: |…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/26/1882572…
G7 Summit: Critical Outcomes
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-08-28
In the French city of Biarritz, a three-day summit featuring the heads of state from 7 of the world's largest economies (Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, the USA, France and Japan) has come to a close. The hottest topics of discussion were trade relations, a nuclear deal with Iran, the protests in Hong Kong, the …
uwidata.com/5103-g7-summit-critical-outc…
Will Yemen Be Divided Again?
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-08-28
A BRIEF INTRODUCTORY HISTORY Yemen is located in what has historically been considered the finest part of the Arab Peninsula, which has prompted numerous attempts to take control of the area. Before oil was found elsewhere on the Peninsula, Yemen was also seen as having the largest concentration of natural wealth. At that time, Saudi …
uwidata.com/5126-will-yemen-be-divided-a…
Humanity Denied: What Is Missing from the Omar, Tlaib Story
Ramzy Baroud | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-28
Israel's decision to bar two United States Democratic Representatives, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, from entering Israel and visiting Palestine has further exposed the belligerent, racist nature of the Israeli government. But our understanding of the Israeli decision, and the massive controversy and discussion it generated, should not stop there. Palestinians, who have been at …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/humanity-deni…
Systematic Palestinian Isolation: What Is Missing from the Omar, Tlaib Story
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2019-08-28
This is the story of Palestinian isolation by Israel that we must not allow to die out, long after the news cycle covering the two Congresswomen's story move on beyond Omar, Tlaib and Israeli transgressions.
mintpressnews.com/palestinian-isolation-…
Taunting the Dragon: Background to US-China Trade War and Hong Kong Protests
Makia Freeman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-27
The Hong Kong protests are escalating, just as the US-China trade war is also escalating. None of this is out of the blue. For quite some time now, the US has been shifting the focus of its hegemonic and imperial …
globalresearch.ca/us-china-trade-war-hon…
Hong Kong: Their Head-Bashers … and "Ours"
Thomas S. Harrington | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-27
I don't claim to know enough about the situation Hong Kong to render a definite opinion about the true sources of the citizen uprising there. My sense, however, is that while the roots of protest movement are probably largely indigenous, the US has opportunistically latched itself on to the cause of the protestors, and is probably providing them with logistical aid, because it sees this as a way of giving its prime geopolitical rival a big black eye.
counterpunch.org/2019/08/27/hong-kong-th…
Israeli attacks provoke Iran, Hezbollah — and could help jihadists
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-27
With its bombings of Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, is Israel trying to stop an attack from Iran and its allies,…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/27/israeli-attac…
The Horsemen of the Apocalypse Fuel the Fires of Hate and Destruction
Howard Lisnoff | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-27
"Politicians and media outlets seem happy to fuel the hate-filled ideologies of a once-despised and tiny minority," reads the introduction of Owen Jones opinion piece in the Guardian "Far-right violence is on the rise,Where is the outrage?" (August 22, 2019). Even though the racist, neo-fascist Proud Boys were far outnumbered by anti-fascists, the far-right protest organizer, Joe Biggs, seemed pleased with the…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/27/114417/
Glenn Greenwald on the Amazon fires and the fight for Brazil's future
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-27
Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept discusses the record-setting Amazon forest fires, the struggle against Brazil's far-right government, and how his…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/27/glenn-greenwa…
Spurning Amazon Aid, Bolsonaro Brings Up Notre Dame Fire
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-27
JACUNDA NATIONAL FOREST, Brazil — Brazil insisted on Tuesday that it would set conditions for accepting any aid from the world's richest nations to help fight Amazon fires, saying France couldn't protect the Notre Dame Cathedral from fire devastation and should focus on its own problems. | The increasingly personal feud between Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and French leader Emmanuel Macron threatened to derail a pledge of tens of millions of dollars by the Group of Seven nations for the Amazon region. | Brazil has bristled over what it views as neo-colonial interference by Europe on matters of soverei…
truthdig.com/articles/spurning-amazon-ai…
Amazonia in Flames
Peter Koenig | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-27
On 28 October 2018, Jair Bolsonaro was elected President of Brazil with 55.1% of the vote and with a gigantic help from Cambridge Analytica. At the World Economic Forum (WEF) in January 2019 in Davos Switzerland, Bolsonaro made a sumptuous presentation, "We Are Building a New Brazil". He outlined a program that put literally Brazil up …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/amazonia-in-f…
Canada's PM Trudeau Supports Brazil's Environmentally Criminal President not the Amazon Rain Forest
Yves Engler | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-27
By now most environmentally conscious people understand that Jair Bolsonaro is a bad guy. Brazil's president has scandalously blamed environmentalists for starting fires burning in the Amazon region, after having called for more "development" of the huge forests. Canadians are lucky we have a prime minister who is not such an embarrassment and understands environmental …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/canadas-pm-tr…
En defensa de Palestina
Editor | workers.org | 2019-08-27
La cuestión de la Palestina ocupada volvió a ocupar un lugar central en la prensa mundial cuando dos mujeres miembros de la Brigada del Congreso -Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) y Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)- le fueron negadas inicialmente el derecho a entrar a Israel por su fascista Primer Ministro Benjamin Netanyahu el . . . | Continue reading En defensa de Palestina at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/08/27/en-defensa-de-pal…
India's Kashmir Gambit Fulfills the Hindu Nationalist Agenda
Amitabh Pal | progressive.org | 2019-08-27
"Now Modi is the leader of a billion people who stand solidly with him."
progressive.org/dispatches/indias-kashmi…
Upshots and Unintended Consequences of Africa's Nuclear Energy Ambitions
Gerard Boyce | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-27
Earlier this month, cash-strapped Zimbabwe announced that it had signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia to engage in uranium exploration and enrichment with a view to the possibility of generating nuclear energy in future. In so doing, it joined | …
globalresearch.ca/upshots-unintended-con…
Does Israel Interfere in American Elections?
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-27
Does anyone remember what the Mueller investigation was all about? It was to determine whether the team surrounding candidate and then president-elect Donald Trump had colluded with a foreign power, presumed to be Russia. | It did not discover any such …
globalresearch.ca/does-israel-interfere-…
What Will It Take To Declare A Climate Emergency?
Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-27
Students march in Melbourne, Australia. Source AAP. The Embassy Protectors Defense Committee is calling on the US State Department to drop the federal charges against us. On May 16, federal forces invaded the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, DC in violation of the Vienna Convention and arrested four Embassy Protectors even though we were there with …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/what-will-it-…
Venezuela: "Landowners Persecute and Murder the Yukpa with Impunity"
Alex Anfruns | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-27
The French journalist Angèle Savino lived in Venezuela for thirteen years, during which time she followed closely the conflict between the Yukpa and the major landowners. "After Chavez decided to hand over the land to the Yukpa, the assassinations ensued" — she confides. Convinced that in Venezuela, the indigenous struggle for land is also that …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/venezuela-lan…
The Week Trump Hit Peak Megalomania
Peter Bolton | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-27
The fact that Trump is an egomaniac hardly constitutes news. Before becoming president his professional life was characterized by a succession of attention-seeking vanity projects. Through his career as a property developer, he oversaw the construction of a series of gaudy buildings, which stand as monuments to kitsch in locations as diverse as Panama, Uruguay,…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/27/the-week-tru…
Abby Martin's Film Gaza Fights For Freedom Humanizes World's Largest Concentration Camp
Miko Peled | mintpressnews.com | 2019-08-27
Abby Martin's new documentary film Gaza Fights for Freedom is an excellent movie that is difficult to watch, and disturbing at times, precisely because it presents a true, realistic view of life in Gaza.
mintpressnews.com/gaza-fights-for-freedo…
Israel's Infamous USS Liberty Attack
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-27
Throughout Israel's history, its ruling authorities have been responsible for virtually every form of indignity, degradation, barbarity, and other high crimes of war and against humanity imaginable. | Palestinians suffered most from the theft of 78% of their historic homeland in …
globalresearch.ca/israels-infamous-uss-l…
Annual Chicano Moratorium program set for August 29
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-27
Los Angeles, CA – A commemoration event honoring the 1970 Chicano moratorium will take place in Boyle Heights, Thursday, August 29, 6 to 9 p.m., at Self Help Graphics, 1300 E. First Street, Los Angeles. | The event marks the August 29, 1970 Chicano moratorium, which included over 30,000 Chicanos and supporters marching against the Vietnam War. The large march ended with a rally at Laguna Park – now known as Ruben Salazar Park. The moratorium was against the Vietnam War, against the high casualty rate of Chicanos, against police terror and against racism. East LA Sheriffs and the LAPD would turn the Chicano Morato…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/27/annual-c…
Robo-car wars: Ex-Google engineer charged for passing self-driving tech secrets to Uber
rt.com | 2019-08-27
A former engineer at Google faces dozens of counts of theft after being accused of making off with company trade secrets linked to self-driving cars, which he then allegedly passed to the ride-sharing company Uber. | The US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday the charges on 33 counts of theft and attempted theft for the former Googler, Anthony Levandowski, who is said to have illicitly downloaded thousands of confidential files from company computers. | Breaking: Former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski has been indicted for trade secret theft by the US Attorney for Northern California. He is accused…
rt.com/usa/467418-google-self-driving-ca…
From Protest to Power
Mike Miller | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-27
August, 1964, fifty-five years ago, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party presented itself to the national Democratic Party Convention seeking to be seated as the official party from that state. The predominantly black delegation wanted to deny seating to the all-white "regulars" who had earlier in the year denied Mississippi African-Americans the right to participate in precinct, county, congressional district and statewide meetings that nominated these delegates.
counterpunch.org/2019/08/27/from-protest…